Stupid 8 Ball
by Midnight113
Summary: Six years later Troy is still at it with that darn eight ball. After graduating college and moving in together, Gabriella was sure his obsession with the little black object would fade... wrong. T&G Oneshot. Sequel to Magic 8 Ball.


**Stupid 8 Ball © Midnight113.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own High School Musical or have any affiliation to it.**

**Synopsis: Six years later Troy is still at it with that darn eight ball. After graduating college and moving in together, Gabriella was sure his obsession with the little black object would fade... wrong. T&G Oneshot. Sequel to Magic 8 Ball.**

**_A warning to all potential thieves, this work is copyright 2011 Midnight113._** **_Stupid 8 Ball is completely the work and property of Midnight113, to reproduce under any other name is theft!_**

* * *

**Stupid 8 Ball**

**'~*~'**

**"-"**

**'-'**

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"Adding the word pretty won't make me suddenly change my mind Troy."

"Come on, don't make me ask the magic eight ball." Troy threatened.

"Oh God no."

"Oh yes. Great magic eight ball-"

"Troy please…"

"Should I, or should I not repair Gabriella's car?"

Gabriella clenched her teeth together and groaned in annoyance, her eyes widening as she watched her boyfriend of six years shake that stupid little black ball. They stayed silent while he searched the screen for its response, anxiously awaiting an answer.

"Huh…"

Afraid to ask, Gabriella shook her head and covered her face with her hands as she slouched back on their sofa. "What?"

"It's says, 'reply hazy, try again.'" Troy had a puzzled look before he shrugged his shoulders. "Alright." And quickly began shaking the eight ball again while asking it the same question.

Gabriella rolled her eyes despairingly as she grabbed the blanket next to her and flung it over her head to block out her view completely. She groaned quietly as Troy read from the screen once more.

"It's says, 'you may rely on it'. See Gabi? The ball never lies." Troy smugly announced with a chest pound before looking over at his girlfriend who was covered with a blanket, hidden from view.

He listened to her moan in response before mumbling, "Rely on it my ass."

"What was that dear?" Troy asked, placing his hand near his ear as he leaned over the counter closer to her from his spot in the attached kitchen.

"You heard me." She shouted through the thin material.

Troy chuckled, moving around the counter with his eight ball in hand. He placed it back on his key ring and grabbed a bottle of water before he made his way over to the couch in their two bedroom apartment.

Placing the water down on the coffee table, he slowly crawled over his girlfriend's body and peeled back the blanket to get a look at her face. His smile brightened when he was met with a small pout. "Go away." She muttered while trying to cover up her face again but Troy wouldn't have it.

"I can't, I live here." He reminded her with a smirk before leaning in to try and capture her lips in a slow, zealous kiss. Gabriella childishly turned her head away so that his lips skimmed her cheek and to her surprise, he blew a raspberry against it causing her to shriek in shock.

"Troy!" She mock scolded as he continued to assault her face with kisses and exaggerated sounds. She couldn't help the giggles that were produced from his antics as he moved his body so it was hovering over hers while she laid down on the sofa in an attempt to escape him.

"Mmm… what are you going to do now?" He taunted her.

"Ruger!" She shouted through her laughter. Troy leaned back, his eyes widening as the apartment slightly vibrated from the weight of the full grown Alaskan Malamute running into the living room. Troy turned his head before his face was covered with the dog's slimy tongue as it licked his face.

"Ah yuck, no fair." Troy fell back on his haunches as Ruger persisted with his onslaught of kisses. "You stink." Troy's nose scrunched up as he moved his head to the side and grabbed the dog's massive head in a headlock. Ruger's tail thumped back and forth as Gabriella's giggles spurred him on.

"That's what you get, jerk." Gabriella joked, slapping Troy's chest. "Get him Ruggie." She playfully stated trying to push Troy off of her from his straddled position over her hips.

Troy's lips spurted as the dog's tongue connected with his mouth. Moving his head to the side, he wiped at his mouth. "That's nice, too much love buddy." Troy shot a teasing glare at Gabriella from over Ruger's head. "Two against one isn't fair, call him off."

Gabriella smiled, her eyes lingering on the black eight ball hanging from Troy's belt. Before he could stop her, she lunged forward and unhooked it. "Ruger, fetch boy." She chucked the toy across the room and laughed her head off when the dog chased after it.

Troy was speechless as he watched her fling the ball, his eyes fixated on Ruger's disappearing body before they turned and locked on hers. "You're going to pay for that."

"Oh am I?"

"Yes you are." He confirmed before attacking her mercilessly with his fingers digging into her sides. Her shrieks and sputters of laughter egging him on as he continued with his actions. Stopping for a moment, he lowered his voice and spoke over her panting. "Apologize."

"Never." She shot him a look and then garbled out another set of giggles and incoherent sounds as he dug his fingers deeper into her sides , tickling her for all it was worth.

"Tell me you love me and I'll stop." He teased, not letting up on his assault.

She shook her head defiantly with a grin, "Nope."

"Ruger can't save you now, you're all mine." He gave his best interpretation of an evil cackle and immediately halted his movements, leaning forward to kiss the tip of her button nose. "Now say you love me."

Gabriella's eyes glazed over, she was suddenly brought back to their high school days, the memory of when Troy had first told her he loved her floating through her mind.

* * *

_Sitting on Troy's bed, Gabriella flipped through the pages of her math book while Troy sat at his desk. The pair were catching up on some much needed studying that weekend for a major math test that coming Monday and they wanted to be prepared. _

"_I still don't get this." Troy groaned as he slammed his head against the edge of his desk in frustration. _

_Gabriella rolled her eyes, "Bring it over here and I'll help you."_

"_How about we take a break instead?" Troy's eyes lit up as he looked over at his girlfriend of four months for approval. The light in his eyes sank when he noticed her frown and shake her head. _

"_No, not yet. Finish the practice questions and then we can take a break."_

"_Killjoy." Troy mumbled before turning around completely in his chair. "Come on, ten minutes. That's all I'm asking."_

"_Nope." Gabriella didn't even bother looking up from her book, her concentration entirely on the text in front of her. _

_Troy furrowed his brow, looking over at his book bag. "I have an idea. Let's play a game real quick and then I promise I'll keep studying for however long you want to." Troy bargained with her. _

_Gabriella looked up slowly from the page she was reading and lifted an eyebrow curiously. "Does this game involve an eight ball by chance?" She asked, noticing how Troy rubbed the back of his neck nervously. _

"_Well… uh yeah." At that, Gabriella shook her head and refocused on the text book on her lap. "But… it's a special eight ball." He amended. _

_Gabriella looked up at him again. "A special eight ball? What, can it fly?" She joked._

"_Not exactly." He replied, getting up from his chair and walking over to his bag. Gabriella watched out of the corner of her eye as he pulled the little blue eight ball out of the front compartment before he joined her on his bed. Crossing his legs, he shifted his weight so he was sitting right across from her and reached out to hand her the toy. "Here. I made this for you."_

_Gabriella stared at it and sighed. "Troy, not another one. You've already given me the little pink one, the purple one and the orange one." She reminded him._

"_Yeah I know, but this one is your favorite color isn't it?" She stared at the toy before nodding reluctantly. _

"_Yes." She replied in a deadpan tone. _

_He urged her to take it, moving it closer to her face. "Take it, I made it just for you."_

_Gabriella let a small smile form on her lips while she reached out to take the little toy her boyfriend was addicted to. "Okay, now can we get back to studying."_

"_Not until we ask it one question first."_

"_Troy…" She began sternly._

"_Please! I promise to be a good boyfriend and do all my homework and all of my studying forever." He pleaded, his hands cupping together as he gave her a big pout._

_Gabriella couldn't help it, she smiled and nodded her head. "Alright. As long as you promise." She smirked, looking up at him again to make sure he wasn't kidding around. "What do you want to ask it?"_

"_Nothing." He replied causing her to stare at him confused. _

"_What?"_

"_Just shake it." He instructed. _

_Gabriella eyed him curiously before following his orders. She looked down at the blue ball and shook it, watching the dark blue dye inside move around as it showcased one phrase through the air bubbles, 'I love you'._

_Gabriella's eyes widened at the message on the other side of the clear screen before she looked up at Troy's serious face. He had been watching her, gauging her reaction as she read the words and before he spoke, he swallowed loudly. _

"_I love you Gabi, but do you love me too?"_

_Gabriella kept her eyes on his for a moment before she looked back down at the little magic eight ball and shook it, happy to see the same message floating there every time. Smiling brightly, she looked up and handing it back to him. "Just shake it and you'll know."_

_Troy's face beamed, his smile widening from one side of his face to the other as all of his nerves disappeared. "Seriously?"_

"_Troy, you custom made me an eight ball with the words, 'I love you'. How could you not know that I've been in love with you for awhile now?" _

"_You have?" He smirked, causing Gabriella to roll her eyes. _

"_Yes, you dork. I think I fell in love with you the moment you handed me that little pink eight ball in the cafeteria."_

"_I've been in love with you since Mrs. Larson forced us to work on that paper together."_

"_Really?" Gabriella asked, getting up on her knees and crawling forward so that their noses touched, the book on her lap forgotten as it slipped off onto the comforter. "It took you this long to say something Wildcat?" She whispered against his lips with a smirk. "What happened to the bad boy who could get any girl he wanted?" She teased, nipping at his lips as he lifted his hands and grasped her hips, pulling her into his lap unexpectedly with a quiet yelp. _

_Troy nuzzled his nose against her neck before placing a soft kiss there. "He got her."_

_Gabriella giggled before wrapping her arms around his neck and planting kiss, after kiss on his lips. "You did." She mumbled against his lips as his eyes locked with hers, their foreheads leaning against each other. "You know what?"_

"_What?" He asked her with a dazed expression. _

"_I believe this is the sweetest, and yet weirdest thing anyone has ever done for me." She announced happily with a grin, pulling back to see his whole face. "And I love you for it."_

"_Hey… if anyone deserves a homemade magic eight ball it's you." He clarified with a smile._

"_Flattery will get you nowhere." She hummed, placing a kiss on his neck. _

"_Seems to have gotten me somewhere." He replied huskily. _

"_You and your stupid eight balls." She shook her head with a smirk. "What am I going to do with you?"_

"_You could kiss me and tell me you love me?" He asked. _

_Gabriella nodded, "I love you." She kissed him sweetly on the lips as he held her securely on his lap._

"_I love you too." He replied. _

"_Good." She nodded. "But we still have to study."_

_Troy groaned before dropping his head to the crook of her neck as she giggled away._

* * *

"Hello!" Troy shouted in her face as came back from her memory. "I'm a little worried here babe, not only are you refusing to say you love me but you also seem to be immune to the hotness on top of you." He pouted.

Gabriella rolled her eyes for the hundredth time that day before smiling and leaning up to peck her boyfriend on the lips. "I love you."

"How could you not? I mean look at me." He replied smugly, lifting his arm up to showcase his impressive muscles.

Gabriella scoffed before shoving him in the stomach, listening to him release a small grunt at the unexpected force. "Are you ever going to grow up?" She asked, moving her body into a sitting position on the couch before she got up and began walking to the kitchen to retrieve a drink for herself.

It wasn't until she got to the refrigerator that she realized her mistake. She shut her eyes tightly as she listened to him ponder over her question.

"Hmm… you know that is an excellent question Gabi. How ever will we find out the answer to it?" He mused, lifting a finger to his chin and tapping it momentarily. "Ah hah! I know just the thing."

Gabriella couldn't stop the smile that tugged at the corner of her lip as she listened to Troy get up and walk to their bedroom. She grabbed the lemonade quickly and shut the frig door all the while listening to Troy's distant voice as he chided with Ruger gently, coaxing him.

While Gabriella was pouring herself a glass, she saw Troy come out of their room with a triumphant smile on his face. "Well Ruger was a tad reluctant to part with my eight ball, who could blame him right?" Troy shook his head before pulling himself onto the countertop next to Gabriella. "But it's okay because I've got several of these suckers laying around." Troy pulled the black right ball from behind him and tossed it in the air, catching it.

Gabriela snorted as she placed the cap back on the container and sipped the ice cold drink in her hand.

"Come on Gabi, ask your question again." He teased but she just kept drinking, ignoring him. "Fine, I will then. Oh great magic eight ball, will I ever grow up?"

"To be a real boy." Gabriella added out of the side of her mouth with a smirk.

Troy gave her an amused look as he shook the plastic toy and then smirked. "Once I answer this question, I'll show you how real of a boy I am."

Gabriella placed her glass in the sink, leaning against the edge of the counter with a smile. "Oh God, I'm just walking right into this today."

"Yes you were baby." Troy agreed with a nod, looking down at the screen. "'Very doubtful', awesome!" Troy announced. "Looks like you're going to have to deal with this _boy _for awhile longer." He smirked from his spot on the counter.

Putting the container of lemonade away, she sent him an incredulous look over her shoulder. "Troy, can we be serious for just one minute."

"No, I don't do serious." He chuckled at the frown on her face as she leaned against the counter opposite him and folded her arms.

"Troy, we have a serious problem here. I need a car."

"No you don't. Believe me, I can fix it. One hour, thee tops and I'll have it working again."

"Babe, I think it would be better if we just bring it to the dealership and have them fix it."

Troy shook his head immediately, jumping down from the counter and hooking his eight ball back on his keychain. "We're not taking the car to the dealer, they always charge more. Just let me look at it."

"No."

"Gabi…" He persisted.

"Please Troy, I don't want it to break anymore than it already has. At least right now I can still get a decent trade for it before it completely dies on me." Sighing, she pressed her finger tips into her scalp and ran her hands roughly through her tangled curls.

Folding his arms, he cocked his head and furrowed his brow. "What are you saying?"

Scratching the back of her head, Gabriella sent him sheepish grin. "Nothing sweetie, just that… I don't want you to touch my car."

"I take great offense to that. Who here has taken care of your car for the last four years since you got it?" He asked with a cocky edge to his voice.

"You." Gabriela sighed.

"And has anything ever happened to it while its been in my possession?" He asked again.

"No." She deadpanned. "Except for that one time you messed up changing the oil."

"That was one time." Troy put both hands in his pockets and shook his head. "It doesn't count."

"And that other time you told me there was something wrong with my spark plugs and then I brought it to the dealer for a proper diagnostic and they said it was the brakes."

Troy scoffed. "Proper diagnostic…" He muttered. "Please, those idiots are paid to run a little machine that does all the work for them. At least I got greasy and dirty going under the hood to find the problem."

"You mean the problem you didn't accurately diagnose?"

Clamping his hands together, Troy smiled. "Anyway, so it's settled then."

"Hey wait a minute, this is far from settled."

"I'll just ask the eight ball-"

Gabriella lunged forward from her place near the counter and grabbed Troy's shirt, crumpling it up in her fist. "I swear to God, if you so much as pull that thing out and ask it one more question today I'll-"

Troy cut off her rant by capturing her lips with his in a slow, passionate embrace. He quickly pulled her closer so that her hips were flush against his and moaned, tugging at her bottom lip with his teeth. Pulling back, he smirked and nipped her along her jaw line. "Have I… told you… how hot you look… when I annoy you?" He asked between kisses.

Gabriella's eyes opened lazily as he continued to pepper kisses down her neck and along her shoulder where her string pajama top was revealing her olive skin. "Mmm… only ever day since high school."

Pulling back to look at her, he smirked. "It's so much fun too."

"I bet." She smiled. "But you're not working on my car." Gabriella settled, giggling at the pout forming on his lips. "Sorry Wildcat."

"You're mean. How could you deny a man from having fun under the hood of an automobile?"

"Would you rather me deny you that or something of a different nature?" She teased, rubbing her hand along the nape of his neck through his hair.

Troy thought about her question for a moment before answering, "Neither."

Gabriella nodded, seemingly pleased with his answer. "Good, now we have a real problem here Troy. I need a new car. I know it's my transmission and I'm not paying thousands for a repair when I can just buy a new car."

Troy looked at her for a moment before nodding. "True."

"And right now, I don't think I have the money for that."

Troy shrugged. "I'll buy you one." After four years of college at U of A, Troy had finally earned a BA in management and once a position opened at the local toy store in town, he had jumped on it. When Gabriella had heard about the job opening, she had quickly surmised that it would be the perfect job for Troy, especially since he would always be a kid at heart.

"I can't ask you to do that." Gabriella shook her head, looking past his shoulder and out the window at the tree as it swayed in the wind.

"You didn't." Troy smiled, leaning in to kiss her forehead. Gabriella smiled at his selfless spirit and leaned into his body, hugging him tightly.

"Will you drive me to work then until this gets fixed?"

She felt him nod against her as he rested his head on her shoulder, rubbing her back in slow, soothing circles. "Anything for my girlfriend."

Just as she was about to respond, she felt a presence next to her. They both instinctively turned and looked down at the dog as he pulled out Troy's eight ball that was hanging from his belt buckle.

"Hey… knock it off." Troy let go of Gabriella and grabbed Ruger's face. "I thought we were pals man. This is mutiny." Ruger gave him the best puppy dog face ever made and Troy sighed. "You can't have my magic eight ball, it's not a toy." He informed the dog.

Gabriella couldn't suppress her laughter and watched as Troy sent her a stern look. "It's not a toy huh?"

"For dogs." Troy added. "It's not a toy for dogs."

"You never did learn to share as a child did you Wildcat?"

"Only with you." He smiled sweetly as Ruger continued to nudge his leg, trying to get the toy off his belt. Troy looked down and shook his head, chuckling. "You taught him this."

"I know, isn't it fun?" She mocked him before he went to grab her but she sprinted away. "I have to get ready for work now, have fun."

"Gabi!" He yelled after her while trying to control Ruger's insistent nudging. "I thought I was going to show you that I am a real boy!" He shouted, listening to her giggles from the bedroom.

A moment later, her head peeked out from around the corner of the door and Troy could just make out the bath towel she now had wrapped around her petite frame. "Well come on then, what are you waiting for?" With that she disappeared back into the bedroom and Troy listened as the shower in their bathroom started running.

"Sweet." He nodded, looking down at the large dog. "Score for me and I didn't even have to ask the eight ball." He smiled, rubbing Ruger's head affectionately. "You stay here buddy, I have to go settle this." Troy smirked as he left the dog in the middle of the kitchen and walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

"How about this one?"

"No."

"Why?" Troy whined, eyeing the beautiful sports car on the lot.

"Because it's not practical."

Troy pulled his eight ball from his coat pocket and grinned. "We'll ask the magic eight ball then. Oh great magic eight ball-"

"Oh good grief." Gabriella slapped a hand over her face and shook her head in amusement. "Not that stupid eight ball again."

Troy ignored her insult and looked down at the mystical toy. "Should Gabriella take this beautiful specimen of a motor vehicle home with her today." He shook the ball and smirked. "'It is decidedly so'. See? I told ya."

Gabriella uncovered her face and shook her head forcefully to get her point across. "No." She smiled.

Troy's shoulders slumped forward as he sulked. "Can't we at least take it out for a test drive?" He asked her sweetly with a winning grin.

"No." She repeated, walking along the aisle of motor vehicles.

"Why not?"

"Because then you'll become attached to it and you'll want to take it home."

"You mean like you were with those puppies at the mall last week?" He countered.

Gabriella swung around and lifted a pointer finger at him. "That is so not the same Troy. They were cute and adorable and fluffy and needed a home. Plus, you know I have a weakness for animals. Ruger could use some company too so it's completely justified."

"Yes… but this car is also cute and adorable." Troy attempted to convince her while running his hand along the sleek exterior of the shiny, new red car. "It also needs a home and you know I have a weakness for cars." Troy wiggled his eyebrows as Gabriella rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. "Can't you hear it calling to you baby? 'Please take me home Gabi, I'm not really as expensive as I look'." Troy continued in a baby voice.

Gabriella lifted both of her eyebrows at that and then tried her best to mimic his baby voice. "Uh, yes you are. And I hate red."

Troy gasped in mock horror, petting the vehicle. "She didn't mean it Tina." He spoke to the car soothingly. "She's just upset."

"Tina?" Gabriella scoffed. "You've already named it?"

"Mmmhmm, that's how much I love it."

"Oh really? Well since you love it soooo much, how about you just break up with me now and date the car, since you obviously have some newly discovered feelings for the inanimate object." Gabriella joked, continuing to walk along the aisle.

"Aw, you're just saying that." Troy waved her comment away with a smile as he kept petting the paint of the car.

"Troy?"

"Yes dear?" Troy responded without removing his eyes from the shiny sports car.

"You're getting finger prints on it." She pointed out. "Now come on, help me find an economical car please."

"Pssh, Tina is economical. She can go 120mph in less the two seconds and she'll get you to your destinations fast and efficiently."

"She'll also raise my payments for insurance and cost me millions extra in gas and not to mention the interest rate is probably very high. Now get over here." Gabriella pointed to the spot next to her as she eyed her boyfriend with a scowl.

Hanging his head low, Troy frowned. "Yes Ma'am." He turned back to the car and gave it one last longing look. "It's been good while it lasted Tina, but my first love is beckoning for me to follow her and I just can't resist."

"Troy Bolton!" Gabriella shouted at him from across the lot.

"Alright, alright…sheesh." Troy quickly followed after his girlfriend with a smile. "You're no fun."

"And you're not taking this seriously."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Ugh!" Gabriella threw her hands up in the air and was about to reply when a voice interrupted them.

"Yo Gabs, we found you the perfect car." Chad shouted as him and Taylor approached. Isabelle, Gabriella's older sister, was also trailing behind them.

Gabriella's face beamed at the news, "Really? Finally some good news. This one here hasn't been any help at all." Gabriella pointed to Troy and laughed as he grasped his chest in mock pain.

"Ouch, and here I thought I was the comic relief for this outing."

"Yeah right Troy boy, you may be hot but you're not funny." Izzy commented coming to stand beside her sister.

Troy rolled his eyes, sending her a disinterested look. "Always the charmer Iz."

"Naturally." She drawled.

"Buzz off Isabella." Chad chimed.

"Make me Danforth." She spit out with venom. Isabella had never really grown fond of Chad since high school.

Gabriella moved over next to Taylor and whispered in her ear, "Save me." Taylor laughed before leaning in and whispering a reply.

"Too much for you?"

"This whole take my friends and family out to look for a car idea is starting to backfire." Gabriella informed her friend.

"Never fear, follow me." Taylor turned back and shouted at Chad, Troy and Izzy to get their attention. "Uh guys, we're going over to the other lot now." The three ignored her as they continued arguing. Gabriella and Taylor shared a look before walking through the aisle of cars away from the group.

"Aren't you married?" Chad asked.

"Yeah, so? I'm helping my sister find a car. Don't want her to make any further mistakes with her life." Izzy sent a dry look over at Troy before returning her focus to Chad.

"Uh, why do I feel like that was a jab at me?" Troy piped up.

"Because it was." Izzy explained.

"You know, you use to like me." Troy wiggled his eyebrows.

"Yes, that was before I found out you managed a toy store. I thought you were going to be a doctor." She frowned. "Then I would have stolen you from my sister.

"Ha. Wait a minute, you married a lawyer so what's your issue?"

"He doesn't have blue eyes, but he does have a sweet ass." Izzy licked her lips and popped her gum.

"Okay… too much info about the sister and her husband." Troy plugged his ears and then realized he'd been insulted. "Wait a minute there's nothing wrong with my ass. Gabi, your sister... Gabi?" Troy turned in a full circle, finally noting Gabriella's absence. "Hey where's Gabi?" He looked around as Chad turned and furrowed his brow.

"They were right here." Chad scratched his forehead seemingly stumped with their disappearance.

Isabelle sighed before popping her gum. "They went to look at the car you morons."

"What? She can't buy a car without my input." Troy panicked.

"Yeah, like your input is important here." Izzy chortled while Troy glared at her.

"I don't care if you are my girlfriend's sister, I'll sick Chad on you." Troy threatened.

"Oh now I'm shaking in my boots."

"Hey watch it, I've got a black belt you know." Chad warned her with a smirk. "Don't upset me."

Isabella gave him and evil eye. "Do you really want me to tell Taylor about all those times I babysat you? I have some stories Danforth so you better watch yourself."

Chad winced at the mention of his earlier years and decided to be on his best behavior. "I'll be good."

"There's a good boy." She teased while patting his afro.

Troy shook his head and started walking away. "Dude, you're embarrassing." He directed at Chad as he walked by.

"What? Why?"

"You just let her win."

"Troy man, you don't know the blackmail she could start. Dude, I don't need that stress."

"What, you mean how you use to sleep with a stuffed basketball pillow?"

Chad's eyes widened. "You're sworn to secrecy about that."

Troy waved him off. "Yeah, yeah… can we find our girlfriends now?"

Chad nodded, giving Izzy a look over his shoulder as she shoved him. "Ow."

"Get moving." She ordered from behind.

"So tell me about this car." Troy began.

"You've gotta see it, I think it's perfect for Gabs." Chad slapped his friend on the back.

* * *

"I love this car." Gabriella gushed, her hands clasped in front of her chest as she turned to Taylor. "I want this car."

"But Gabs, that's not the one we found for you."

"I don't care." She shook her head. "This is the one."

"But Gabriella, you can't afford this car."

Letting out a sad sigh, Gabriella nodded. "I know that Tay. Just let me have one minute here will ya?"

Taylor frowned giving her friend a pat on the back as Troy, Chad and Izzy appeared from behind them.

"What's up?" Troy asked with concern once he spotted the look on Gabriella's face.

"Oh nothing, Taylor was just showing me the car they found for me."

Troy looked at the cute little blue Toyota complete with a spoiler and smiled. "Is this it?"

Taylor, Chad and Izzy all shook their heads at once. "No, the car we found is over there." Taylor pointed. "Gabriella saw this one on the way over and now she loves it."

Isabella walked over to Gabriella and gave her sister a friendly half hug. "Hey sis, I'm sure you'll like the other car just as much."

"Yeah, maybe." Gabriella agreed.

"Just think of it like when I was dating back in high school. There was always a better guy ever year." Izzy reminisced while looking off into the distance with a glazed expression. "A better, hotter… sexier-"

"Okay, thank you for that." Chad intruded on her memory.

Gabriella focused her attention on the little car in front of her. "It's cute." She noted.

"I know." Izzy put her arm around Gabriella's shoulder and pulled her away from the expensive car.

"It's new, only thirty five thousand miles." Gabriella tried to reason.

"It's too much for a teacher's salary."

"It's perfect, I could get a good trade." Gabriella frowned.

"I know, but this other used car is just as good. Come on, I'll show you." Izzy and Taylor made Gabriella focus on them as they walked her over to the black wagon on the lot.

Troy remained next to the little blue car and frowned as Chad came up next to him.

"What are you thinking?" Chad asked.

Troy smirked, looking over at his friend. "I don't know, let's ask the magic eight ball. That's why it's here right?" Troy asked, taking the little toy off of his key chain.

"Gabriella's going to kill you." He joked.

"Nah, not if it's the eight ball's fault."

"Especially if it's the eight ball's fault. We all know you've got that thing rigged so that it always answers the way you want it to."

"That or I just shake it until it gives me the answer I want. Or maybe I am just that damn good."

"Don't do it man."

"Oh great magic eight ball, should I buy this car for my beautiful girlfriend?" Troy shook the ball and then watched the murky ink and dye float around in a bubble of liquid before he got the answer he wanted. Troy smirked, letting Chad read the inside of the toy.

Chad sighed. "Great, just great."

"Don't worry, I've got it all planned." Troy smiled while looking over at his girl who was trying to smile at the ugly car over in the next aisle.

* * *

After looking at the black wagon for a total of ten minutes, Gabriella had insisted she go home and think the whole thing over before making any rash decisions. Taylor and Izzy had of course agreed that sleeping on it would help Gabriella come to terms with the fact that the little black wagon was a good choice even if it wasn't her first choice.

That morning, Gabriella woke up and was surprised to find Troy in deep thought sitting on the edge of their bed. She watched as he juggled an eight ball back and forth in his hands.

"Troy?" She whispered, her voice croaky from sleep.

Troy turned and smiled at her as she stretched. "Hey sleeping beauty. I didn't wake you up did I?"

"Nope." She shook her head and yawned. "What time is it?"

"About eleven."

Gabriella's eyes shot out of her head in shock. "What? Troy how could you not wake me up."

She jumped out of bed uncoordinated as she balanced herself and attempted to make the bed with him sitting on it, chuckling at her.

"Calm down, I was joking. It's really noon." He teased her, his eyes shining with mirth.

"Troy!" She screeched, grabbing her pillow and chucking it at his head. "I'm going to kill you one of these days, you and that stupid eight ball." She threatened playfully with a smile.

"Nah, you love me."

"I won't love you if you keep lying to me about the time." She informed him, looking over at the clock on the side table that read ten in the morning. She pouted and bit the bottom of her lip. "It's only ten."

"I know, and it's your day off too."

Gabriella nodded, it was in fact a Saturday and she didn't have to teach on the weekends. "It might be the weekend Troy but I still have to correct a bunch of tests and type up a pop quiz for my first period math class and-"

"Whoa. First off, we're going to forget about all of that because I have a surprise for you."

Gabriella let out a little groan and dropped her head back so she was looking up at the ceiling. "Not another eight ball. I don't know what to do with the ones I have." She looked over at him with a smile. "I'm starting to really dislike these balls of yours."

Troy smirked. "I haven't heard any complaints about my balls before. You know you love them." He winked.

Rolling her eyes, she scoffed. "No I really don't." Gabriella enlightened him while she tried to make the bed around his body. "Not only do I have to sleep with one next to me every night on the dresser, but I can't go to the grocery store either without you using it to decide if we should have burgers or mac and cheese for dinner. It's like every decision in our lives has been discussed with the eight ball more than with our friends." She shot him a look, hoping she was convincing enough.

Troy rolled his eyes. "You love it."

Gabriella just bit her bottom lip and shook her head, refusing to let him know just how much she did enjoy it. Troy jumped up from the mattress and grabbed her hand. "Come on." He pulled her along out of the bedroom, barely giving her time to greet Ruger properly since the large animal was still lounging in its bed near the kitchen.

"What, where are we going?"

"To show you your surprise." Troy stopped her in front of the door and grabbed her jacket and shoes from inside the closet. "Put these on, I don't want anyone to get a glimpse of what's mine." He ordered her, handing the articles to her.

"Of what's yours?" She teased, doing as he asked.

"You know it." He winked. "Now come on."

He grabbed her hand and led her through the door to the apartment, taking the stairs down one flight until they were out near the main entrance to their building. Troy pulled her out through the doorway until they were standing in the parking lot. It took Gabriella a second to spot the little blue car she had fallen in love with the day before at the used car lot.

Her mouth opened, forming a small 'o' as she stared at the car. Troy slowly brought the keys up to her face and dangled them there in front of her enticingly. She looked over at him then. "You didn't?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Blame the eight ball."

"Troy!" She shrieked, "You did not buy me this car." She stated, looking at the keys still in her face and then back to the car.

He leaned in near her ear and whispered. "It's yours." Before pulling back. Gabriella smiled, the tone of his voice sending chills down her spine. She closed her eyes and then opened them again, half expecting it to disappear. "I can't afford this, you can't afford this Troy."

"We can't, is what you mean to say and actually yes, we can."

"I don't feel right taking your money."

"How long have we known each other?" He asked.

"Six years."

"How long have we lived together and paid rent together?"

"Four years."

"Do you love me?" He asked sweetly.

"You know I do."

"Good, I love you as well." He nodded. "Now go get in your new car."

Gabriella squealed and wrapped her arms around Troy's neck, catching him off guard as she pulled him down. "You are so crazy Wildcat." She planted a loud smooch on his lips and he smiled against her, reciprocating the gesture.

She quickly let go and giggled, grabbing the keys out of his hand and wiggling them around as she ran to the car, unlocking it.

Troy stood in front of the car, watching her as she climbed in and suddenly he felt nervous. Swallowing, he ran one of his hands through his unkempt chestnut locks while his other hand remained in his pant pocket.

Leaving the door open so she could talk to Troy, Gabriella got comfortable in the drivers seat and swished her butt around on the new leather interior. Loving the fresh scent of a new car. Placing her hands on the steering wheel she spoke to Troy while looking around the inside of the car.

"You know, I still don't like that you bought this without my permission baby. We definitely should have discussed this first, especially concerning payments and whatnot." Gabriella eyed the dashboard and rolled her eyes. Sitting with a suction cup on the top of the dash above the radio was an eight ball except this time it was the color white.

Shaking her head, Gabriella leaned forward and grabbed the toy out of instinct. "I should have known you couldn't resist." Out of pure curiosity, she played with the little toy in her hands, shaking it to see if it was another custom made eight ball courtesy of Troy. She was rendered speechless however as a small message appeared on the screen through the blue ink, a message she had never seen before.

_Will you marry me?_

Gabriella gasped in shock, her left hand flying to her mouth as she looked up out the windshield to find that Troy was no longer standing where she had last seen him but was instead kneeling on one knee next to her open door, a ring in his hand.

"So what do you think? Can you handle being with this Wildcat for the rest of your life?" He asked, his voice trembling slightly as he attempted to hide his nerves.

Gabriella's mouth was open but no words were coming out, she couldn't form an answer. She looked down at the ring and then let her eyes trail down to his belt buckle where that stupid eight ball was attached. Moving forward, she unclipped the toy from his belt and began shaking it. Troy watched her curiously as she continued to shake it until a smile appeared on her face. Turning back to him, their eyes locked in a heated moment just between them before she lifted the magic eight ball and showed him what it said.

_Yes - Definitely. _

Troy's mind processed the words before he looked up and met her brown orbs once more. "Really?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I can't think of anything else I'd rather do." Without wasting another minute, she grabbed Troy by the collar and pulled him into the car so that he was leaning on top of her. Giggling, Gabriella planted kiss after kiss all over his face, her lips skimming over the light stubble on his chin as he fused their lips together forcefully.

"I thought you didn't like my magic eight balls?" He whispered huskily against her mouth as her tongue slid along the upper surface of his top lip.

"Mmmhmm, I love your stupid eight balls as much as I love you." She hummed, nipping at his bottom lip now as she fingers raked through his hair, messaging the nape of his neck.

"You sure you want to spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Damn right I am." Her response caused him to let out a hard laugh, but it was quickly cut off as she smashed her lips to his again.

"I love you." Troy whispered against her lips as they both panted for air.

"Hey… I figured something out." She said suddenly, moving back so she could see his entire face. "I think those magic eight balls really are magical."

Troy's face lit up with the brightest smile she had ever seen. "Now you're getting it Gabi. That's exactly what my father said to me before he died, when he gave me his collection of eight balls. That's why I swear by them, they've always brought me you…"

The tears in her eyes were glistening as she looked at Troy's happy face and in that moment everything felt right. As she molded Troy's lips to hers once more, Gabriella realized she wouldn't trade anything in the world for the happy, blissful feeling she had at that very moment. Not even those stupid eight balls, especially not those.

* * *

**A/N: So this is a sequel to Magic 8 Ball... obviously. I didn't plan to ever write this until the other day when I opened up a blank document and just felt inspired to write something fluffy and cute and not sad like the last couple things I've written have been. I've also been working on the sequel to Bookstore Hostility and wanted to get away from that to clear my head for a bit so I focused on writing this but I'm going back now to keep working on BH's sequel, don't worry. That should be up sometime in the coming weeks and who knows what else. I really, really hope this sequel didn't ruin the first, original one. I might do more in the future, I don't know... I just really like this whole eight ball theme. Anyway, thanks so much for reading. Reviews are always appreciated and my apologies for any grammatical errors. P.S. If you haven't already, go check out ZV4ever's story Cafe Affection, it's really good. **


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